as in harassment
the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another
the endless pestering finally drove me to study at the library
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in teasing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in bothering
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation
one resident pestered the condo board about every little thing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pestering
Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 May 2026
The pal had a place in the beach town for quite some time and had long been pestering the former TAP Air pilot to stop by and see the area’s unparallelled beauty and tranquility for himself.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 1 May 2026
Tiny eye-biting flies are swarming all over the San Gabriel Valley and pestering residents.
—Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
In a game where the Stars smashed the Oilers, Hryckowian was pestering Edmonton players all night en route to drawing four penalties.
—R.j. Coyle, Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
But this is now a 20-game stint of pestering Knicks defense — with no example better than during Sunday’s 25-point takedown of the San Antonio Spurs.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Every day the press corps descended on both teams with pestering questions, some of which were obvious plants to promote products.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
No kid brother tagging along, pestering him with questions, pushing up on his social circle.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 31 Dec. 2025
Hawke’s Hart holds serve in all of these scenes, motormouthing, pestering, insisting, utterly unable to help himself, sometimes in the most literal interpretation of the phrase.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Noun
There were almost no visible signs of this pestering affliction, which interfered with the rabbi’s sleep and therefore with his mental competence and his negotiation of daytime duties and professional matters.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
Fudd played some solid defense early with a quick steal and spent some time pestering Clark.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 May 2026
The pal had a place in the beach town for quite some time and had long been pestering the former TAP Air pilot to stop by and see the area’s unparallelled beauty and tranquility for himself.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 1 May 2026
Tiny eye-biting flies are swarming all over the San Gabriel Valley and pestering residents.
—Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
In a game where the Stars smashed the Oilers, Hryckowian was pestering Edmonton players all night en route to drawing four penalties.
—R.j. Coyle, Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
But this is now a 20-game stint of pestering Knicks defense — with no example better than during Sunday’s 25-point takedown of the San Antonio Spurs.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Every day the press corps descended on both teams with pestering questions, some of which were obvious plants to promote products.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
No kid brother tagging along, pestering him with questions, pushing up on his social circle.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 31 Dec. 2025
Hawke’s Hart holds serve in all of these scenes, motormouthing, pestering, insisting, utterly unable to help himself, sometimes in the most literal interpretation of the phrase.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pestering
Noun
-
At the time, Congress overhauled parts of its opaque workplace complaint system, ended the use of taxpayer money for future harassment settlements, and created new support structures for staff members seeking legal help.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
11 May 2026
-
When Burke was brought to court on misdemeanor assault and harassment charges, prosecutors asked that he be held on $3,000 bail, but, once again, a judge gave him supervised release, according to court documents.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
Or when Reggie purposefully annoys Arthur by having his son, Carmelo (Jalyn Hall), practice with his a cappella group in Arthur’s editing suite, a move that demonstrates the increasingly teasing affection between Arthur and Reggie.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Try taking 10 to 15 minutes each day to write out what's bothering you.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
2 May 2026
-
Yusei Kikuchi said throwing fastballs was bothering him again, so the Los Angeles Angels pitcher left Wednesday's 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox after two innings with left shoulder tightness.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But theatergoers around me couldn’t seem to get enough, no matter how repetitive the naughty humor became.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
His tics are not naughty mischief, but an uncontrollable action.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Joined by Mayor Mamdani, friends and family on Thursday laid to rest an East Village deli worker who police said was shot and killed during a dispute with a troublemaking former customer.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
There’s an inherent troublemaking nature to him that can’t be repressed by the big Disney musical.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Vargas has been crafty on the base paths, recording five steals on five attempts.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Feel free to try any creative, crafty endeavor such as jewelry making or air-dry clay building.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pestering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pestering. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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